Six candidates are hoping the votes are in their favor to win a seat on Fullerton’s City Council, where two districts will be electing a member to represent them on the dais.

At least one new face on the council is guaranteed because no incumbent is running in District 3, where Jesus Silva is currently holding a seat. In redistricting this year, Silva was drawn out of the district, so he’ll have to wait until 2024 to run again.

Vying for the seat – the district spans south of Imperial Boulevard, east of State College Boulevard and includes Cal State Fullerton – is Dr. Shana Charles, an associate professor of public health at the university; Arnel Dino, a business owner and current Fullerton planning commissioner; and John Ybarra, a real estate broker.

In District 5, incumbent Ahmad Zahra, who was a newcomer when he was elected to the council in 2018, is looking to keep the seat. The district includes the southeast portion of the city, framed by Chapman Avenue and Euclid Street.

He has two challengers: Oscar Valadez, a construction superintendent and former Orange County Transportation Authority advisory committee member, and Tony Castro, a digital media artist who has helped manage congressional candidate campaigns, according to his website.

While City Council seats are nonpartisan, Zahra and Silva represent two progressive voices on the dais.

Fullerton has struggled in recent years to maintain a budget with healthy reserves, and last year approved 2.5% budget cuts across government departments while using COVID-related aid to help stabilize operations. The city has also been troubled by dated infrastructure and aging roads.

On top of those key issues, the city’s next leaders will be tasked with navigating the rebuilding of Fullerton’s Fire Department, which separated from a shared command staff agreement with Brea this year. Amid staffing shortfalls, the current City Council last month decided against joining the city’s department with the Orange County Fire Authority, mainly due to cost concerns.

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